Inio : n0H
1890
Here's a Study in Contrasts Photo
graphically Illustrated by Shapely
One-Piece Suits of Today and the
Cumbersome, Unattractive but Emi
nently Respectable Garments Worn
by Bathers 45 Years Ago.
BT GERTRUDE EPPERSON.
THE story of woman's emancipa
tion finds no more eloquent epit
ome than tbe evolution of the
bathing suit.
Even Venus hereelf would have
looked "a fright" in the vintage Of
1875 bathing dress guaranteed to be a.
sinker if tne wearer got beyond, her
depth. Made of heavy flannel. It not
only increased the tonnage of the ap
pearance, but It also added danger
ously to the weight when the thick
cloth of its long cklrt and bloomers
became saturated with water. Is It
any wonder th.it mixed bathing was
not popular in the days when such
suits were fashionable?
Fortunately, ugly hats of straw or
palmetto worn, to protect the com
plexion so effectually disguised a lady
that her nearest and dearest would
never have known her, clad in the
deforming garment then fashionable.
When these suits were fashionable
tt was the custom in England for
women to bathe from vans mounted
on wheels. So near was this period
to the mid-Victorian primness in
women's dress that the vans were
drawn by horses well into the surf
so that the timid bather after glancing-
fearfully out of the door lest any
male be In sight could quickly step
Into the water, where she would be
safe from the gaze of the curious, if
Dot from the danger of drowning!
If the tide receded and left the van
on the shore, the driver waded into
the surf and drove the horses and van
to rescue the fair bather from any
prying vision.
However loudly the short skirts of
today proclaim that woman ' is a
biped, in those days of the long
skirted bathing suit women were not
supposed to have legs, or at least
that possession was a matter of con
jecture.
"Other times, other customs." Cer-
tainement! you will say, in contem
plating the one-piece bathing suit
worn by Miss 1920 when she takes
her dip today. Could you believe
that in the brief span of three decades
ho great a change in fashion could be
accomplished?
Much was done to "reform" all fem
inine fashions when the walking skirt
was introduced. Women shorn of the
germ-catching train were quick to
grasp sartorial freedom and to cry
for freedom in industry and politics.
You have here the story of their
emancipation illustrated In the tran
sition from the long and ugly bathing
dresses to the modern form-fitting
suit that permits every muscle full
play in the glorious sport of swim
ming.
Getting Rid of Stocking-
Gaining courage, women decided to
try the semi-form-fitting suit with
shorter. ekir an.il stockings roUsd,
1900
down over the knees. The old ladles
in the beach chairs were shocked and
grieved, but still the fashion per
sisted. The next step in aquatic emancipa
tion was to leave off the stockings
and shorten the skirt. ' Now the real
swimmer adopts the typical Califor
nia bathing suit indorsed by western
freedom and favored by the east. This
type of suit is universally worn on
western beaches and is appearing
with persistent frequency on the At
lantic, coast.
Atlantio City is a bit circumspect
in bathing suits at least, although
that quality is not always attributed
to the playground of the nation.
Each year in Atlantic City beach
rules are made by the city fathers
and the life guards and beach police
men enforce the rules.
Elittemely. senB&Uonal eulta are not
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TITE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, MAY 9, 1920
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permitted, although beauty un
adorned except for form-fitting suits
may be viewed during the bathing
hours in numbers as great and on
types as varied as you would wisn
for at the foot of South Carolina ave
nue, where most of, the aquatic sen
sationalists gather.
Until quite recently women bathers
were not allowed to appear on the
Atlantic City beach without stock
ings, but that rule, like their garters.
has become elastic.
When the ruling was In vogue Nep
tune s daughters who ' wanted to
bathe stockingless resorted to roll
ing down their stockings, leaving
knees free for swimming and at the
same ' time conforming jto the dic
tates of the Quaker spirit that lurks
behind the rulers of the Jersey bath
ing resort.
, Xhere. was a. time when men wore
we
long flannel trousers in bathing, as
I you wiii una wiinessea in mo pic
ture showing the suits of the vintage
of 1875. Occasionally in the neighbor
hood of the "bowery" in Atlantic City
ITALIAN DUKE TO DEVELOP
. AFRICAN COLONIAL WEALTH
Plan to Produce Cotton and Cereals for Nation Worked Out on Big
Scale Entire Expense Borne by Nobleman.
OME, May $. Arctic exploration
Y-C and shooting the savage polar
--V bear have no allurement at pres
ent for the duke of the Abruzzi, who
Is now engaged in the equally scien
tific If less hazardous tack of investi
gating the commercial and agricul
tural possibilities of the Benadir col
ony. East Africa, with a view to mak
ing it a source of income for Italy,
and even eventually of rendering that
country independent of other nations
for her supplies of cotton and cereals.
The duke, in addition. Intends to
explore the sources of the Uebl See
bsl river, which, rising la. the high
1915 1918 1919 1920
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one may behold a patriarchal gentle
man whose flowing beard drips salty
moisture, presenting an unlovely
sight In blue flannel trousers that
even hide his ankles. His halting
plateau of Eanar, toward Abyssinia,
passes through the Italian colonies to
the sea and, it is believed, can easily
be rendered navigable for small boats,
besides being invaluable as a source
of irrigation for the extensive agri
cultural enterprises, which the duke
hopes to Initiate In Benadir.
The first news has Just arrived of
the expedition which started last De
cember from Mogadiscio.. An ex
haustive study has already been
made of the winds, the climate and
the rainfall of the country. Engineer
Agostinelli, who is accompanying the
exned.ijtiqn, and, who.' has done Sfift-
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step is apt to proclaim that "rheu
matics" has marked him for her own.
Modern men as well as modern
maids avoid any extra weight in
bathing suits, but it remained for the
eiderable work . on the rivers and
canals of the Lower Piave, considers
that it will -be comparatively easy to
utilize the waters of the' Uebl Sce-
bel for a system of canals, to irrigate
that part of the colony which now
suffers from drought which will more
than quadruple Its productive power.
The duke of the Abruzzi and the
experts who have accompanied him,
are setting up two big experimental
farms where it will be demonstrated
what immense harvests of cotton,
dourra, sugar and coffee can be ob
tained In this country through irri
gation, a system of intensive culture
and the use of modern agricultural
machines.
The ex-German cargo boat, now
called the Carlo Pisacane, which
brought news of the expedition, also
carried a large shipment of dourra
from the colony, a grain which . re
sembles maize and can be used, to
gether with ordinary fiour, for bread.
It hM aIs9 peea. sroyed. that he
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California girl to feature fringe on
her fiber silk suit.
The fringe somewhat observes the
contour of the wearer when she
emerges from the surf and it gives
perfect freedom of motion when in
the water. In this type of suit short
trousers are worn reaching just
above the knee. They are attached
at the waistline, where they are
woven in one with the jersey.
Safety First in Bathing Salts.
Atlantic City, which registers more
bathers during the season than any
other resort in the world, did not
have one death from drowning last
year! This record is partly due to
the vigilance and ' efficiency of the
lifeguards, but if you ask an old
guard whose skin Is tanned the color
of mahogany to what he attributes
this remarkable safety, he will tell
you; "Women have learned how to
dress in the water. Jxi learning how
to dress they have found out how to
swim. They know how to handle
themselves in the surf because their
suits give them a chance."
breeding of cattle in Benadir can be
greatly increased so that supplies
can be sent to Italy of meat and hides.
All this work is being done, it is
uuuuocea, entirely -.t the expense
of the duke, who desires that Italy's
colonies should be developed and
hopes that similar work may be
started In Lybia and Cyrenalca.
Chorus Girls 100 Per Cent Good.
ALBANY, N. Y. More convicted
persons are on probation than there '
are inmates of all correctional insti
tutions, says the annual report of
New York state probation commis
sion. Stenographers behaved better,
all but a dozen keeping out of court,
as compared with 16 in 1918. Chorus
girls and manicures were 100 per cent
perfect, so far as court records go.
Editors did not make as good a rec
ord, two having been convicted of
crime. Farmers to the number of 337
were convicted, as compared with. 149
ibA leas betoss,
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